Praveen Kumar from India secured a gold medal in the men’s high jump T64 event at the Paris Paralympics, breaking the Asian record with a jump of 2.08 meters. Born with a shorter leg, the 21-year-old from Noida achieved the best jump of the season among six competitors and clinched the top spot.
American Derek Lockwood took the silver medal with a best jump of 2.06 meters, while Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov earned the bronze with a personal best of 2.03 meters. With this gold medal, India has moved up to the 14th position in the medal tally. The country has now recorded its best performance in Paralympic Games, with six gold, nine silver, and eleven bronze medals. India has surpassed its Tokyo Paralympic gold medal count, where it had won five gold, six silver, and eight bronze medals.
Praveen started with a height of 1.89 meters and successfully cleared it on his first attempt, maintaining the top position to win the gold. He and Lockwood had a continued competition for the top spot, but Praveen emerged victorious. This achievement also marked Praveen’s personal best performance, who is the bronze medalist from the 2023 World Championships.
Athletes in the T64 category have minor movement impairment in one lower limb or are missing one or both legs below the knee. Praveen’s condition is congenital, affecting the bones connecting his left hip to his leg. He struggled with insecurity due to comparisons with his peers in childhood but overcame these feelings by engaging in sports, initially trying his hand at volleyball.
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